Unless you’ve been living in a compound with no telephone or internet access, then you’ve probably heard by now that the US Military is having a pretty stellar week. And we’re not just talking about rounding up bad-guys (ok – really, really, bad bad-guys) and protecting and serving our country.
So it should come as no surprise that the Devil Dog Duathlon, the second event of ten in the Hard Core Race Series (HCRS) put on by the Marine Corps at Camp Pendleton in Southern California, is one sweet race. So let’s go ahead and get this out of the way from the get-go: If there is a group of people that know how to put on a race it is the great men and women of the United States Marine Corps.
The duathlon starts in the 43 Area Las Pulgas at Camp Pendleton in Oceanside, CA. It, along with the rest of the HCRS, is easily accessible from San Diego, Orange, Riverside and Los Angeles counties. In all honesty, I chose this race because I was going to be out in San Diego for the weekend, I’m training for an ironman, we had a low intensity week (making the 5K run/30K bike/5K set up the perfect distance) and this event happened close to some friends (with whom I was staying). I wasn’t expecting much, though after previously racing Ironman 70.3, Oceanside, which cuts through Camp Pendleton, I should have known to expect a great race.
The race started at 8:30 am, with no bike check in or anything required prior to race morning, making it easy breezy from a logistics standpoint. Transition opened at 7 am, and for most the day went something like this:
7 am: Arrive at Camp Pendleton. Make sure you have a current driver’s license and proof of insurance (or rental agreement, if applicable) to get past the gate.
7:15 am: Check-in. The check-in and registration area was really well organized, with PLENTY of volunteers in the form of very nice, young Marines (you hear that ladies??). We got our numbers and gear in under 5 minutes – again – easy breezy! There were also plenty of volunteers in the transition area to help rack bikes and for body marking.
7:30 am: Wait. Because we assumed everything was going to take longer (we wish all races were this smooth), we had some time to kill. We perused the “expo” area which was small, but fine given the size of the field (about 450 civilians and 200 military racers), went to the bathroom a few times (plenty of port o pots and no extremely long lines) and tested our bikes (we were riding rentals – thanks Moment Cycle Sport in Point Loma!).
8:30 am: Race start. The fun begins!
The out-and-back 5K run course utilizes the same course for both run legs in a space dubbed the 43 Area. It takes you out of the parking area, past the enlisted barracks and out a wide dirt fire road to the turnaround. The terrain consists of mostly flat pavement with some hard-packed gravel roads thrown in for good measure (there is a small incline from the mile 1 mark to the turnaround, but you get to come back down it on the way home). Overall, it was a nice run with some decent SoCal scenery and was also fully supported with one water station at the mile marker and one at the transition exit.
We couldn't snap race pictures for this one, so instead we offer you this entirely accurate rendition of the day's events.
Similar to the run course, the 30K bike is a mostly flat and fast out and back along a scenic Camp Pendleton Road, which was a welcome surprise after the VERY hilly Pendleton course endured at IM Oceanside. The views are beautiful; you’ll take in ocean views and countless California hillside backdrops. But since the entire base is fully operational during all races, it’s best to keep in mind that you’re on a military base. Don’t be alarmed if a few tanks and all-purpose vehicles happen to roll by you on the bike course or by the sounds of live fire as Marines perform training exercises up in the hills overlooking the course. Also notable: for a good portion of the day you’ll be flanked by very supportive and encouraging Marines while out on the course, and if that’s not good motivation on race-day, then I don’t know what is!
Course: A- It’s a beautiful bike course with views of the ocean and the hills of Camp Pendleton. The first and last mile of the run pretty much cut through a couple parking lots, which doesn’t make for great sightseeing, but the off-duty Marines cheering outside their barracks more than made up for it.
Organization: A+ No surprise, we’re dealing with the USMC. The organization was top notch. Plenty of volunteers who were extremely nice, supportive and very helpful (even if most of them were “voluntold”).
Atmosphere: B+ The course isn’t overly spectator friendly and the transition area was the best place to watch from, but the military vibe was abound, and that alone was enough to keep me going.
Logistics: A Camp Pendleton is easily accessible no matter where in SoCal you find yourself. It’s an hour drive from San Diego and LA and there are plenty of hotels in Oceanside if you’re looking for a place to stay the night before.
Overall: A The Marines at Camp Pendleton have been putting on these races for 12 years and it shows. The Devil Dog Du is a great time and highly recommended if you’re looking for some quality short distance multi-sport fun.
There are still a few races left in the Camp Pendleton HCRS. The 4 mud runs that make the series famous (June 4th,5th, 11th and 18th) are sold out, but a sprint triathlon (August 6th), the Heartbreak Ridge Half Marathon (September 10th) and the Buffalo Alley 10K, 5K and 1K (October 15th) are still open, so if you are looking for a great race this year in SoCal check out: http://www.camppendletonraces.com/index.html, and don’t forget to register for next year’s Devil Dog!
-Tracy
